3 Chapter 3 - The Trial (Edited)
Liam's body felt heavy, and he could still feel the lingering pain from what just happened
.
He tries to move his body, but it feels like a monumental task. Even moving a finger feels like he's gonna lift a 25 kg sack of rice.
He could feel a wave of dizziness threatened to pull him under. But his instinct tells him if he does that, he will regret it.
Warm and sticky blood is still dripping from his lips, and his jaw still feels sore.
Forcing his eyelids open, he starts to perceive his surroundings. Looking around, Liam saw an immense forest that seemed to stretch as far as he could see.
With just a single glance, he knows it's not a normal forest.
The tree is huge, and some of it can be called giant. Their bark is filled with luminescent moss and creepers.
Looking up, Liam can see it's filled with leaves, as purplish blue light comes from the gap.
He then looks down at the ground beneath him, which is solid but carpeted with purple glowing grass. As he took a deep breath, he could smell a sweet earthly aroma.
He then focused on his hearing, but all he could hear was the subtle rustling of the leaves, the distant voice of unseen animals, and the sound of his own breath, ragged and uneven.
Then, a Floating white transparent screen starts to appear before him, flickering in and out for a while before stabilizing.
Words and symbols ran across its surface in a language he did not recognize.
Liam then focused his eyes on trying to read it. As soon as he did that, the language transformed into one he understood.
He sees a countdown timer of 00:29. As time keeps ticking, he proceeds to look further.
___________________________________________
Name: Liam Rainer
Home Planet: Earth
Prana: 3/3
Engram: none
Ascension: none
Soul Gear: Arcanum nano pendant.
Stats: Fitness 0.8, Int 1.2, Ment 1
___________________________________________________________
[Warning: you still have not prepared your gear. Three seconds remaining.]
[Trial initiation in progress...]
The sudden new notification surprised Liam.
He could feel the surrounding atmosphere start to change, and the ground started to quake and crack apart.
From the fissure, a big monstrous claw climbs out. Soon, Liam could see a behemoth come out. It then stands in front of Liam. "ROAR!!!"
The monster is a behemoth, easily twenty feet tall (6 Meters), With a body mix of reptilian and mammalian traits. Ebony scales on its broad back and muscular limbs.
Coarse hair comes out in jagged patches on its chest. It stands on all fours. Its limbs end in vicious claws that carve deep trenches in the earth.
The behemoth's face was crowned with two massive horns and set with two fiery, reptilian eyes. These eyes glowed with a predatory fire and were locked onto Liam...
Looking at the Behemoth, Liam starts to beat like crazy, and all his senses scream in danger. He cursed. "What in the actual hell..."
As many thoughts ran through his mind, Liam could feel a strange energy coursing through his veins.
He could feel his body and senses strengthened, probably because of the pendant. But Liam doesn't have time to ponder on it.
He starts forcing his feet to move as he looks at the Behemoth.
"A trial!? This should be the final boss or a mid-boss, at least?"
"GROAAARRR!!!" As if on cue, the beast unleashed another ear-shattering roar...
The ground beneath Liam quaked. As the monster charged towards him, adrenaline surged through Liam's veins, propelling him into action.
Liam's mind quickly raced, and in a second that felt like an eternity, he tried to find a way to escape. To survive this.
All his survival instincts scream for him to make a move quickly. He then looked at his surroundings as the beast kept closing in, every step making the ground quake.
Then, a jagged crystal-like rock that stands tall like a tower comes to his view, and without hesitation, he makes his decisions.
Despite all the danger, Liam could feel he was excited. He looked at the Behemoth. "Alright then... you want to dance, ugly?"
He then bent his knee with a defiant glare. He says, "Let's dance."
Liam then starts sprinting through the forest.
Each step gave a sharp pain in his ribs, but Liam gripped his teeth and pushed on. He used the dense trunks of the trees to create a temporary barrier.
As the beast ran, pursuing him, the earth vibrated under its weight.
Liam moved agile around the three, making the beast crash into it. Each time, it destroys a tree under the impact.
CRACK!!! CRACK!!!
The calm of the forest soon became disturbed. A commotion of splintering wood reverberated as the tree creaked before drooping down.
Leaves and debris flowed in the air. The beast kept roaring as its big claws mawed the fallen tree.
It may only take the beast a few seconds to destroy the tree, but it gives Liam time to widen the gap between them.
As he ran, Liam's eyes darted around, choosing the best path to give him more time. He then spotted a colossal tree towering above the rest near a sloping hill.
Knowing this would give him more time, Liam quickly sprinted toward it.
As he ran, he picked sharp rocks along the way.
His breath ragged, while his muscles were sore from the physical strain. But his eyes were determined.
As he reaches close to the colossal tree, he spins, facing the behemoth head-on. His blue eyes look deeply into the predator's eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he screamed, "Hey, over here! You ugly brute!"
Then, with all his strength, he started throwing the sharp rocks. One rock after another.
With his enhanced strength, each throw shot like a projectile cutting through the air.
Most of it misses the target, and the hose that hits its scale gives no effect at all. But by a stroke of luck, one of the projectiles hit its mark, impacting the beast's eye.
A flicker of satisfaction sparked within Liam as he murmured, "Yes, bullseye."
"ROAAAAR!!!"
Feeling the pain from its eyes, the beast unleashed a thunderous, agonizing roar. Its remaining eye blazed with fury.
The behemoth becomes enraged and then jumps into the air, opening its maw wide and showing its array of sharp teeth.
Despite the danger, Liam knows this is the best plan for him to survive, his eyes focused, calculating the right moment. As the behemoth comes closer, his mind screams it's time.
He reacted instantly, throwing himself into a roll down the hill's slope.
The beast's gnashing jaws snapped shut inches from where Liam had just been, caught in its momentum, and it crashed with the towering tree with a ground-shaking thud.
Its claws instinctively latched onto the tree, and the sturdy bark started to creak under the immense weight and power of the beast.
CRACK! CRACK!! CRACK!!!
The colossal tree succumbed, tearing from its roots and Falling onto the beast.
As Liam had calculated the angle beforehand, the tree fell straight into the beast's body. The behemoth then roared in pain, the colossal tree now serving as a prison, pinning the beast down.
The behemoth thrashed wildly, clawing and gnashing at the woody, sending splinters and wood chips scattering in every direction.
Liam, observing the monstrous beast, couldn't suppress a breathless chuckle. He feels satisfied as his plans succeed.
Risking his life in the process just makes him feel even more elated. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" He says with a grin.
Not wasting precious time, Liam started to turn on his heel and sprint toward the crystalline rocks. He hoped that there he could find something sharp enough to pierce through the behemoth scale.
It's not like he has a better choice…
Soon, he moves past the forest and reaches the clearing. The view he sees makes him gasp for breath. It's so beautiful, like something straight from a fantasy game.
The area is filled with Crystalline rocks, each reflecting a myriad of colors, shining under the aurora skylight.
He couldn't help but stand in awe momentarily, taking in the beautiful scenery, but soon, he reminded himself that he knew this was not the time for sightseeing, as his life was at risk.
His mind then raced as he looked around the area, finding anything that could help him survive.
He saw the large, sharp crystal and several smaller shards scattered around.
A few ideas quickly come to his mind, one that Liam believes can make him turn the situation around.
He knows the monster is strong, but it is also reckless and blinded by bloodlust. Liam believes he can exploit this.
Soon, the ground starts to vibrate. Liam turns his gaze as he sees the three start getting mowed down. The Behemoth is freed, and now it comes for vengeance.
But Liam already has a plan, his eyes blazing with determination.
The dance was far from over…
